Hunting in the Arena
by xxpinknikkixx123
Summary: This takes place in the first book, between the tracker jacker attack and Katniss meeting up with rue. It's about how she goes hunting and deals with a wild dog. I've tried to match it with Collins' style of writing, please review x


I was panting heavily as I trekked through the never-ending woods. The pine needles slithered over each other as my boots hit the ground. My legs burned as I pushed them onwards, I didn't have a choice. I needed to move.

I had been walking for days, putting as much distance between the tracker jackers and me. I shuddered. I still felt dizzy from the hallucinations caused by their venom.

I snapped myself out of it. Now was not the time to be weak. I needed a plan.

But what on earth was I going to do? I had no allies, no food supply, no water; everything I had was used up in the last two days. I was helpless.

'No.' Haymitch's voice echoed in my head, sneering, 'you _were_ helpless.'

I looked up and grinned, making sure the invisible cameras could see my face. I was still in the game- I had my bow.

Soon it was the middle of the afternoon and my palms were sweating. Luckily I had found a stream about an hour ago so I walked along it for the rest of my journey until now when I decided to refill my water.

Whilst adding the iodine I thought about making a camp and giving myself a small break. There was plenty of tall trees and coverage if I needed to hide, and the stream was near.

Should I risk it? The careers could easily catch up with me in the night, if they were following me that is.

Having sorted out my pack and washing away the sweat and dirt caked on my fingers, I decided to stay, I needed to rest, to think of a plan. And it's not as if I was defenceless if they did find me.

Plus if I wanted sponsors I was going to have to show the audience what I could do and I think now was the time to do it.

Before I left to hunt I set up two wire snares along a rabbit track I had found near the stream. I wasn't going to go far.

Soon, I forgot about the world around me and adopted my hunter's walk, moving silently through the trees. With the water source so near by it wasn't hard to find my prey within the first hour. It was a moorhen, at least sixty yards away. Although it was small, this was an easy kill, and some food is better than no food. I ended its life quickly and quietly with an arrow through the eye. I continued moving until I found my next target. This one was harder. It was another bird, but this one was in flight. I drew my bow quickly and released it within the second. The strange bird fell to the ground and I heard it splash as it landed in the stream, my silver arrow sticking out of its chest.

It flowed downwards to greet me before I pulled it out of the water, I didn't recognise what species it was, which was strange, but it looked edible to me.

I carried on and became lost in what I was doing. This felt so much more natural, to be actually doing something, rather than running away. If I closed my eyes and took I deep breath in I could imagine that I was in the woods, my woods, with Gale standing next to me, covering my back. Even when I opened my eyes the trees looked the same, but I new it wasn't.

The arena lies to you, it tricks you into thinking that you're all alone, that you are somewhere safe, but it doesn't mean anything. People were in the Capitol right now, watching me on their massive T.V screens, watching me struggle to survive. Were my family watching me? Was Prim sitting at home with mother, clutching Buttercup against her chest, willing me to come home? Was Gale watching me now? Would he see through the whole 'star-crossed lovers' thing? I sighed. I felt a horrible pang in my stomach whenever I imagined him at home.

My next shot was not so admirable. I clipped the birds wing and my arrow got lodged in the tree behind it thirty-or-so feet up in the air. I rushed forward as the bird fell down, squawking loudly. I needed it to shut up before its strange calls were noticed. I used my knife to finish it off before tackling the problem of my arrow. I couldn't leave it up there, what if someone noticed it? Also that would mean I would only have eleven left. I needed to preserve them in case of an emergency.

I grimaced as I looked down at my tracker jacker stings and the copious burns all over my body. They still throbbed. I guess I'd just have to be fast then.

The climb was brutal.

I may have been quick but my hands were raw when I finally got down. I needed to get back to my supplies.

I clipped the three birds to my belt and began to move back through the trees to the place where I first stopped.

I was plucking the strange bird on the move when I heard something. I looked back. No one was there.

I kept going, picking up the pace, eager to get back. Then I heard it again. Whatever it was, it wasn't a human noise. I listened carefully; it wasn't a growl, or a snarl but more of… a pant, something breathing? I stood there for a second confused, until I realised what it was. I had heard that sound before. And now, it wasn't Haymitch's voice inside my head, it was Gale's, telling me to run.

I had come across a wild dog before back in district twelve, in fact I had come across many but there was only one time when I had ever seen Gale so frightened.

It was closely after we had first met, in early summer. I remember walking back with him to the linked fence and I was boasting about the two squirrels I had shot. He just laughed saying that squirrels were nothing.

'Please,' he said, 'I always catch squirrels in the snares, what you really want are deer, they can feed a family for weeks.'

'Have you ever caught one?' I asked.

'No but I will when I get a'-

He froze.

There was a pant.

'Catnip,' He whispered, his mouth a blur, 'do not look, just run, ok? I need you to run to the fence, forget the squirrels. Just get out of here, find a tree or get to the meadow. Just run.'

Terrified of the monster behind me I did, exactly what he said… until I heard him yell out in pain, then I turned on my heels and fled back towards him.

I found him with this massive dog on top of his body, snapping at his neck, with froth at the mouth and bloodshot eyes.

That was the first time when I killed an animal without thinking. My wooden arrow pierced its heart and it keeled over as Gale sat up. The dog hadn't bitten him but he did twist his ankle when it knocked him to the ground. I remember letting him lean on my shoulder as we stumbled back home and I explained to his mum that he had tripped when playing tag with me.

Right now I had no choice. I was in the Hunger Games; this dog wasn't going to be a normal wild dog. This dog was going to be lethal.

I ran.

I had no idea where the animal was except that it was close. I knew I could sprint, I sprint faster than all the girls in my year, but there was no way I could outrun a rabid, dog that was specifically created to tear out my throat.

Something collided with me from behind. I was knocked to the floor, the air sucked out from my lungs on impact. Before I could get up the massive beast was on me. Yes, I knew it wasn't going to be normal.

The thing was twice the size of a normal dog like a massive bear, except that it was completely hairless. Its legs were like those of a horse, lean muscle and long.

I rose up my arms on instinct to protect my throat just in the nick of time. Its massive mouth lunged down at me as I shrieked. I tried to clasp its jaw shut with my hands but it was too strong. My only hope of survival was to protect my neck. I kicked furiously at its belly but to no avail. It wouldn't budge. I gasped in pain as my forearms became increasingly cut and torn by the beast's muzzle. I was going to die. I cried out for help, but he didn't come. I saved him when he was being attacked. Why isn't he saving me now? Where was Gale when I needed him?

'Please…' I whimpered.

Suddenly the beast stopped, snapping at me. Instead it's eyes lolled into the back of its head and like before when I saved him the beast fell on its side. A tall figure was standing over me, a rock in his hand. I knew he would come. Gale was always there for me.

'Katniss!' He said, kneeling down to help me up.

'You came,' I whispered.

'Of course I came for you, I would never let you die, Katniss, I knew that the moment I gave you the bread.'

I was starting to black out, 'I love you,' I whispered, as my eyes began to close. 'You were always there for me. 'But why aren't you calling me Catnip like usual?' somehow I never caught his response. I it was then when I blacked out.

I woke up later in a daze, my arms heavily bandaged with part of a shirt, although I knew it wasn't mine since mine was still intact. There was a roast bird on a clean rock waiting to be eaten, already cooked and prepared. It was probably the weird bird that I had started plucking due to its size. There was also a bottle of water waiting to be drunk. I frowned. Who had done this? The last thing I remember was I being knocked over by the monster. Which person in their right mind would help a fellow tribute?

I poured out the water back into the stream even though I was parched. I could never be two careful. The person probably poisoned it, hoping to trick me with the meat next to it. I refilled the bottle and stared at the meat. It looked ok, how could someone possibly spike a bird. After a while I decided that I was too hungry to care. I sat on a fallen branch eating away and staring into the smouldering remains of what must have been the fire used to cook the bird.

Then I realised. What if someone saw the fire? The sun was almost set now, and it was starting to become cold. For all I new, the careers could be somewhere in the bushes watching me. I had no idea how secure the location is. I swore.

That's when I heard the twig snap.

In one motion, I turned to the sound, bringing the bow and arrow to my shoulder, which was by my side when I woke up. There was no one there. No one I could see anyway. Then I spotted the tip of a child's boot just peeking out from behind the trunk of a tree. My shoulders relaxed and I grinned. She could move through the woods like a shadow, you'd have to give her that.

One of Rue's eyes edged around the trunk.


End file.
